Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Near the end of the Civil War, inhumane conditions at Andersonville Prison
caused the deaths of 13,000 Union soldiers in only one year. In this
gripping and affecting novel, three young Confederates and an entire
town come face-to-face with the prison’s atrocities and will learn the
cost of compassion, when withheld and when given.Sentry Dance
Pickett has watched, helpless, for months as conditions in the camp
worsen by the day. He knows any mercy will be seen as treason. Southern
belle Violet Stiles cannot believe the good folk of Americus would
knowingly condone such barbarism, despite the losses they’ve suffered.
When her goodwill campaign stirs up accusations of Union sympathies and
endangers her family, however, she realizes she must tread carefully.
Confederate corporal Emery Jones didn’t expect to find camaraderie with
the Union prisoner he escorted to Andersonville. But the soldier’s wit
and integrity strike a chord in Emery. How could this man be an enemy?
Emery vows that their unlikely friendship will survive the war—little
knowing what that promise will cost him.As these three young
Rebels cross paths, Emery leads Dance and Violet to a daring act that
could hang them for treason. Wrestling with God’s harsh truth, they must
decide, once and for all, Who is my neighbor?

My review:This was not in my typical reading genre', and was also a new author to me, but I do enjoy reading about the Civil War, so I decided to review it, and am glad I did. It was even better than it sounded.

The book is fictional, but is centered around a real prison in the South for Northerners that had been captured in battle. The conditions described in the book were real, and there are also some real historical figures in the book, but the events are fictional, along with some of the people.

This was a very well written story. I don't know what the author's other books are like. but if this book is any indication, she is an excellent author. She did a great job of describing the conditions of the prison, the likely mentality of the prisoners and of the people of the town. She painted a great picture of the struggle between the North and South, and of the sadness of a country so divided.

At the heart of the story is an unlikely friendship between two men. One is a Northerner, and the other is a Southerner. After delivering his Northern prisoner to the prison and seeing the conditions, the Southern boy vows to get his new friend out of the prison. With a daring plan and a couple of partners in crime, he sets out to just that. There are many bumps in the road, surprises, and a price to be paid to do so, but in the end the reader is left with a great story that is moving and leaves you with that satisfied feeling of reading a good story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and found it hard to put down.

I highly recommend the book to men and women alike. You will not be disappointed.

About the author:

Tracy Groot

Tracy Groot is the
critically acclaimed and Christy Award–winning author of several novels.
Her most recent books exemplify her unique style of
storytelling—reimagining
biblical stories within other historical contexts. Tracy's novels have
received
starred Booklist and Publishers Weekly reviews and have been
called "beautifully written" and "page-turning" by Publishers Weekly and
"gripping" with "exquisitely drawn" characters by Library Journal. Tracy
and her husband have three boys and together run a coffee shop in Holland,
Michigan.

I review books for:

Note to authors: I do review for some publishers, but if you are interested in getting a book reviewed, doing a email review, or even a guest blog, contact me. I am primarily interested in Christian fiction, and other types of Christian books. I also like to host giveaways.

I do prefer physical copies, as I never read e-books.

Also interested in reviewing other items. Email: marcus802001(at)yahoo(dot)com

About Me

I live in Lisbon, Ohio. I am single, and am uncle to the six greatest kids in the world. I enjoy blogging about Christian fiction, my family, Christianity, and the events of my life.
I deal personally with same-sex attraction, but am living according to God's Word with His help.
If you are an author, particularly Christian fiction, and need someone to review your book, give me a holler.